HIS majesties LAST SPEECH, To the Lords of his privy council, and others, at His first notice of the intentions of the City of London, concerning their Petition for Peace:  
Wherein is briefly expressed the royal disposition of His excellent Majesty toward that honourable City, and his good inclination toward the kingdom in general.  
 seal of Charles I 
C R  
HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE   
First printed at Oxford by Leonard Lichfield, and now reprinted at London for John Rogers.   

His Majesties last Speech, to the Lords of his privy council, concerning the Londoners Petition for Peace.  
My Lords,  
RVmour, which in that uttered nought but truth, brought us hither about a fortnight si●ce, a report, that divers able inhabitants of our capital City of London had presented in a Petition their humble desires to ou● high Court of Parliament, to take some spe●dy and eff●●●ual course for s●●h●g all the differences ●e●ween us and them; the printed Copy of which Petition c●●e afterwards to Our hands. And certainly We have a g● 〈◇〉 ●l● of reason ●o ●esent with all kindness the hon●●● an● 〈◇〉 ●●●●tions o● those good Citizens, who finding( I 〈◇〉) to their costs, the dangers and incommodities that always wait on a C●●●ll war, the m●series imminent over them and ●heir fellow-subjects in general by the breach of peace and amity amongst themselves, settled their resolutions to try all ways possible to conclude these grievous distractions: and amongst all, they could have happened on none more material, then that of petitioning our Parliament to comply with us for an accommodation. For if they be as ready to propound reasonable conditions for that purpose, as we shall be to embrace and ratify them when propounded, the●e will not be much difficulty in the matter; many Suns more will not go down upon our anger, we shall have all peace and quietness. But what our Parliament hath in that case determined, hath not yet arrived our knowledge. A very hard destiny, both for ourself and them, that We, who had wont to communicate all matters of consequence and weight, which either concerned ourself or the Common-wealth, with a mutual freedom, should now breath at such a distance, that Wee have no affinity of converse one with another. But those ruptures may yet in good time be made up, and( like bones, when broken and well set again) the unity between us may knit faster, after this long breach betwixt us. We have since been credibly informed, and( We hope) no more then truth, that the best of our said City of London, and not the meanest number of its inhabitants, intend( by their agents deputed for that purpose) to present with all humbleness the like Petition to Us. We dare assure you( my Lords) if it be so, no one thing that hath befallen Us since these fatal wars, ever came so welcome as it will do to Us. For what greater comfort can there be to Us in these misfortunes, then that the noble and ancient City of London, which hath been the constant seat of Our royal ancestors, that inshrines their reverend dust; that City, whose wealth and potency hath been the principal supporter of these wars against Us, now sensible of her duty to God, and her allegiance to Us her sovereign, she doth make hast to fly to peace, petitioning Us and Our Parliament also, for the obtaining it: surely We shall ever take it as an apparent testimony of their affection to Us, and be ready in all honourable ways as befits the Majesty of a King, to consign Our intentions to the ratification of all such conditions, as she shall with reason propound by those advocates for peace, now destined to Us. Some( We doubt not) are of opinion among you, that considering with what an high hand Our said City hath carried things against Us; how divers of the inhabitants thereof did as it were threaten Us, nay drive Us from Our palace at White-hall; that the Money, Plate, and Horses, which upheld and fomented the late wars, arose out of the Citizens bountiful contributions to Our Parliaments assistance; that all, or most of the Regiments of Foot and Horse, under the earl of Essex in the field against Us, were raised and levied in the City, most of them being either Citizens, their Children, or Prentices; and so finally conclude, that the very source and fountain, from whence these distractions have sprung throughout Our Dominions, to have been the City of London, whose money hath raised those forces which have been employed against Us: and therefore that consequently We cannot in honour harken to the said City in any propositions of Peace, which hath caused this War. How easily shall We refute this argument, at once strike dead these objections. First, for the insurrection there, it was not( as hath since evidently been proved) either by the consent or abetment of any of the grave or substantial Citizens, but raised merely by a company of loose and mutinous spirits, who would needs, to get them a name, though for doing mischief, thrust themselves into the business of the Common-wealth; and had we before weighed that attempt, so well and maturely as wee have done since, that scarecrow should not have frighted, that shadow of a tempest should not have shaken Us out of White-hall, where We were more scared then hurt. And for the madness of those idle and inconsiderate out-casts of the people, can any man of judgement think it fit, the noble, wealthy, and moderate inhabitants of the City should suffer? far be it from the equity of a King, to punish the innocent for the guilty; it were as if heaven should condemn a whole Nation for the offences of a few Reprobates. Nor can a good argument be made from such a particular to a general. For their raising Money, Plate, and Horses, for the Parliaments assistance, suppose we grant that to be the principal cause of abetting and maintaining these wars against Us; We do believe no less, nor that the earl of Essex could have ever kept the field against US, but for the men levied in the City: yet confident We are, that not one man amongst them, in those contributions either of Money, Plate, or Horses, intended thereby ought that was prejudicial to Our person, or royal dignity: the Parliament desired those contributions under the pretence of Our safety, and the defence of Our kingdom; and the Parliament promised to secure them harml●sse, which was warrant enough for them to do what they did, since their intentions, which makes the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the act, were destined and aimed merely at Our service, and the good of the Kingdom. So it was with the men that came to serve under the Parliaments Colours, they imagined, and confidently, that they came to fight for Us, not against Us, and so were possessed by their Commanders. But say We should resent these injuries, and in consideration of them refuse to harken to any propositions or petition of peace, which should be tendered Us from Our City of London, those who counsel Us to this, let them out mark how dangerous the consequence would be, and they will quickly clear themselves from those thoughts. First, by the refusal of their petition We should for evermore lose the hearts of all the Citizens who are Petitioners, and in their hearts loyal to Our crown and dignity, and not onely deprive Us of them, but the rest of the inhabitants will cry out against Us, as a person that delights in blood, as against one that prefers his own humour before the settling of Religion, or the peace and prosperity of his subjects, which ought to be the principal care and duty of a sovereign: nay we should not here give a period to the heart-burnings that are stirred up against Us, but Our whole kingdom would take it in ill part, that Wee should refuse to harken to the City of Londons propositions, and so the Citizens would not onely then contribute their Plate, money, and Horses, to the defence of their cause, but also double their benevolence, expending all the substance they have, nay even their lives in the defence of their liberties, which then they would absolutely conclude We had an intention to violate and enslave, if Wee should refuse to endeavour to preserve them, by condescending to an honourable treaty of peace, and when that rich and populous City once is insenced and possessed, that there are machinations and invasions purposed against their freedom, they will all( as We had lately experience at Turnham-Green) combine and confederate themselves together as one man, in the tutelage of that which they esteem dearer then their lives, their liberties. Besides the arming them against Us, many of Our friends now with Us, that are their friends, and onely expect the happy day of unity betwixt ourself and Our Parliament, upon Our refusal would be induced to relinquish Our service, and that( as joab said to David, when he would not come forth and speak cheerfully to his men of war) would be a greater evil then hath ever happened to us from Our youth up to this time.  
Since then God in his mercy hath put it into divers of the Londoners hearts to petition for peace, and that divers of their agents are for that purpose coming hither, We shall receive them with a fatherly love, forgetting all things past, and imputing them rather to misunderstanding then malice: We shall, if their conditions be in any reasonable sort correspondent to Our honour and wishes,( and We believe they will not in duty offer any but such as shall be faire and reasonable to Us their sovereign) receive them with much good will and alacrity, and grant( in Our royal goodness) whatsoever shall be fitting for Us to give assent to. We shall, for the settling Gods holy worship in Our kingdom, for the taking away all cries and clamours from Our subjects, and the establishing peace and happiness amongst them, be ready with all Our soul to come to a treaty with Our high Court of Parliament, that all the world may take notice that the taking up Our arms was not any way to oppress the livelihoods, or diminish the property of Our subjects, their liberties or ancient franchises, when at the first reasonable request We shall lay them down, with a far better will then We took them up: and We would have all Our good subjects, especially those of Our honourable City London, to understand, that they cannot any way make a more grateful demonstration of their love to true Religion, and duty to Us, then by promoting as much as in them lies, a sudden reconciliation between Our self and Our high Court of Parliament, till when none of them can have hopes of enjoying his own estate in peace; the nature of war, especially civill, being incompatible with either wealth or plenty. And therefore Wee shall use all Our endeavours to produce that peace amongst Us, which hath been, and will again be the producer of so many blessings to Our people and dominions.  
We shall desire you therefore( my Lords, and you Gentlemen that attend Us) that when any such persons shall arrive here from London, that you use them with all civility, not exprobrating to them any of the former dissensions; and in so doing you will perform your duties, and seem inclinable to that peace, which We pray God speedily to sand in all Our dominions.  
FINIS.